Naturally occurring polymers with biomedical applications

decellularized tissue

Our bodies are not just living cells stuck between other living cells. Tissue and organs are made not just of cells, but of a matrix of fibers, proteins, and small molecules that living cells secrete and live in. This material is called the extracellular matrix, which gives structure to our bodies and a pathway for cells to communicate with each other. When the cells are washed away, the extracellular matrix, or ECM, remains, and can be used as a material…